KANE'OHE — For J.R. and Sherry Andrade, eight is enough but seven — well, seven just feels a tad lonely.

At the moment, the household consists of J.R. and Sherry, their two biological children, one adopted child, three kids of whom they have legal guardianship and one foster child.

"We usually have one more, so we're short," Sherry said yesterday. "I do a head count wherever we go and I keep thinking we're missing somebody."

In all likelihood, the void in the household won't last long. The Andrades are one of a precious number of Hawai'i families who have opened their homes to an estimated 1,500 children in the state's foster care program.

Over the past seven years, the Andrades have taken in 34 kids in need of a stable — if temporary — home.

The Andrades were at Windward Mall yesterday for a Mother's Day celebration hosted by Kokua 'Ohana and Hui Ho'omalu, a program funded by the state Department of Human Services. The event included testimonials from foster parents and foster youth, a musical performance by Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Kawika Kahiapo, activity booths and information stations.

The celebration was presented as part of a series of events marking National Foster Care Month.

Lynne Kazama, an assistant program administrator for the state Department of Human Services' Child Welfare Service Branch, said the number of children and young adults needing foster placement has decreased as the agency has put greater emphasis on helping to keep children with their birth families. But the need is still great.

Whenever possible, DHS tries to place foster children with relatives, who then receive foster care training.

Children may also be placed with general-license foster families, with efforts made to match the child's and family's cultural backgrounds for greatest continuity.

Kazama said there is a greater need for families willing to take in teenagers and children with special needs.

For J.R. Andrade, sharing his home is a matter of family tradition. His grandmother took in foster kids. So did his mother.

"It comes naturally," he said. "I want them to succeed. A lot of them have experienced beatings, drugs in the home, being on the street. I want to share experiences with them and show them that they can break the cycle."

Andrade is a self-employed handyman, which allows him the flexibility to make himself available whenever he's needed. Sherry Andrade works as an aide to disabled adults.

For the Andrades, all plans are tentative because they never know when they'll be called on to take in an emergency foster placement.

Some children arrive scared and unsure of what is happening to them. Others have been through the system before and are well aware of how to manipulate it to their advantage.

Regardless, the Andrades apply the same patient, loving approach to each.

"We always welcome them to our family, because we want them to know that while they're here, they're part of a family," Sherry Andrade said.

The ground rules are simple and uniformly applied. There's a zero-tolerance policy for drugs. Fighting is also strictly prohibited. Everyone does their share of chores, as indicated by a large chart that is updated every month.

Derrick Cowden, 16, has been with the Andrades for two years. Cowden grew up on the North Shore, an only child in a house where there was "a lot of fighting."

Cowden said it took him a while to get used to being around so many other kids, and to find his niche in his new Kane'ohe neighborhood. Still, he appreciates what the Andrades have done for him.

"They gave me a lot of support with school," he said. "They gave me a place to stay, and they're always there for me."

The Andrades are in the process of adopting Cowden, now a sophomore at Castle High School.

The main goal of the foster care system is to eventually reunite children with their original families.

At its best, the program provides a safe nurturing environment to children as they and their families address whatever problems they may have.

Rachel Cruz, 22, of Makakilo successfully reunited with her family after a year in foster care.

Cruz said she was molested by a non-family member starting at age 11, an experience that destroyed her self-esteem and sent her on a downward spiral.

By age 16, Cruz was failing school, rebelling against her parents and self-mutilating. She was eventually placed with her aunt and uncle, whom she credits with helping her feel "worthy of love."

A family group organized by Kokua 'Ohana provided Cruz a means to reflect on her experiences and to understand her family's perspective — a process that eventually enabled her to return home within a year.

"I had to choose to allow people to care for me and for me to care for other people," Cruz said. "It was a matter of learning to trust again."